Shadow Puppets

Which were already counted in the clubs attendance figures.

Until anyone can find a photo that doesn’t show about 30 empty seats in the Gallowgate, I’m inclined to believe that the photos above are pretty representative of the capacity. I hope you’re right ToonArmy1892, but it just seems like wishful thinking to me.

I don’t believe you ? ...or should I say I don’t believe your mate. I mean I hope it was 42k but I just don’t believe it for a moment. Just look at the photos. There’s loads more as well if you just search Instagram and stuff. Eg... https://www.instagram.com/p/B1EpzBgA4wC/?igshid=bucfrx22xu5e https://www.instagram.com/p/B1EvL9ih_8Y/?igshid=1jqytt6gkbqlb https://www.instagram.com/p/B1EgCGPAL6R/?igshid=1tvlz2rbxoar3 https://www.instagram.com/p/B1CpLnOgMXC/?igshid=15wrmxymutnij But it’d be interesting to see if we could somehow get the correct figure from the police or something.

Get stuck in Rafa lad!!! ?

Yeah but I found yet another post of his getting upset at suggestions it wasn’t full Seems obsessed with wanting the boycott to fail. I’m not obsessed wanting it to fail at all. How many times do I have to say that I have been involved in these boycotts and the promotion of them in the past. I’m just trying to dispel some of the bullshit that gets plastered on here. 42k is a bullshit figure made up to make the organisers look good. But anyone who was at the game knows fine well that it’s made up. Why lie? Pretending it was better than it was doesn’t make it so. Yeah the 47k number which includes season ticket holders who might not even have been there is the more likely number I think 46k, as I said, is a fair figure. Just look at the photos man. Not even the remotest possibility that there were 10,000 empty seats (20% of the stadium). I’m just being realistic man. What’s the point in trying to claim something that clearly isn’t true?

I for one am absolutely gobsmacked that yet again I am being labelled as some kind of Ashley sympathiser for simply pointing out that the 42k figure is bullshit. The photos don’t lie. Come back when you fancy having a grown up discussion about it.

Yeah but I found yet another post of his getting upset at suggestions it wasn’t full Seems obsessed with wanting the boycott to fail. I’m not obsessed wanting it to fail at all. How many times do I have to say that I have been involved in these boycotts and the promotion of them in the past. I’m just trying to dispel some of the bullshit that gets plastered on here. 42k is a bullshit figure made up to make the organisers look good. But anyone who was at the game knows fine well that it’s made up. Why lie? Pretending it was better than it was doesn’t make it so.

I vaguely recall that NUFC foundation have a lot of seats reserved in the Leazes end...not sure where. Could be those?

Here’s some of the photos my mate sent me. The area you’re all focusing on is the only area in the whole stadium with a large amount of empty seats. Apart from a small pocket in the level 7 corner. I can dig out the other photos from his Facebook if you want but he took photos looking up to level 7 too. Many of the empty seats you can see at the back of the platinum club on this photo filled up apparently as well, so you can rule them out too. I’m sorry ToonArmy1892...you’re wrong this time buddy...as much as you hate my opinions... Shot of most of stadium: https://imgur.com/JYNvOn5 Shot of the bottom of Gallowgate: https://imgur.com/7rQbVjS

Sounds an awful lot like “let’s tell everyone there was only 42,000 people there”. That’s a blatant lie looking at the photos. Maybe 46k, at a push.

If Rafa had been manager, this would never been a thought in our minds. Despite the gulf in quality in squads, Rafa made us think we could take on anyone. I’m sorry like... I loved Rafa but that’s just completely false. See the pre match predictions for pretty much every big game on here for proof.

It is ridiculously amateur like. Get the feeling he won’t make that mistake again though.

Mid 30s. And yes...I went to my first game in 92. Kids don’t care who owns the team...if it’s run well / badly. They care about the buzz you get from it. And the players. And dare I say they care about being with their dad / mum / friends making memories. When I took my 4 year old to the friendly last week he LOVED Saint Maximin because he kept running past people. And he loved his hair! ? That was his first up close experience with it. He’ll grow to love the roar of the crowd etc etc. And in the grand scheme of where we could be as a football club, it’s not “mediocre”, is it...it’s just normal for most PL teams? Sure, in comparison to where we were under Keegan and Bobby, but outside of those cumulative 7 years, much of our existence as a football club has been like this.

No different to Rafa against Big 6 sides Newcastle 5 v 1 Spurs/Poch Newcastle 3 v 0 Chelsea/Conte Newcastle 2 v 1 Man City/Guardiola Newcastle 2 v 1 Arsenal/Wenger Newcastle 1 v 0 Man Utd/Mourinho Even in his last home game against a Big 6 side(Liverpool) we had the most shots on target of any side that played them last season. If you think today was similar to that then wow. List all of the narrow defeats against the big teams as well, before I bother taking your post remotely seriously. You can’t just rewrite history to back up your point man. You know fine well there were many games against big teams under Rafa that we barely had a kick in. I obviously was talking about those games, ffs. Stop being so fucking defensive. Imagine thinking this wasn’t enough wins from a newly promoted side against the Big 6 who didn’t give the manager any financial backing Still the only team in the Premier League to beat Man City in 2019. You just saw what they did to West Ham. Ungrateful pal. Seriously, what the fuck are you banging on about? You’re arguing about something completely unrelated to what I posted about. How many fucking times do I have to say I loved Rafa and what he did for the club. All I said above was, performance wise, today’s performance was very similar to many performances under Rafa against big teams....the three 2-1 defeats to Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal at the start of last season for a start. You are literally making up a topic to argue about. Just ignore him. He's got that post copied out in a Word document ready to reply to anyone who mentions any football manager. Thanks. I thought I was going crazy for a second.

I can’t argue with that. To each their own. For me, it’s far more important to build memories with my kids than to worry a great deal about my money funding Ashley’s NUFC. I’d be a crap father if I let something so trivial get in the way of my kids enjoyment. I’m all for protesting on your principles...I’ve been a regular participator in climate change and Brexit protests over the years for example...issues that actually really matter to the world. I guess I just don’t feel quite as strongly about Ashley’s ownership as some of you do. I’d prefer it if we competed and spent more, obviously. I don’t like Ashley’s ownership. But it’s football...it’s hardly life or death and I don’t think it’s worth ruining your hobby and enjoyment for. Force him out by other means, sure. But walking away seems to me like you’re punishing yourself for something that will never catch on. Steve Bruce, though. Steve Bruce. I mean, where's the line? It's not just 'his ownership', like that's merely strategic or perhaps political. What's happening is an absolute pisstake. I respect you continuing to fight your battle in here, where you're fighting against the tide, mind. I wish you saw things differently. I agree with you at heart. I know it’s a pisstake. An ultimately crap appointment, on paper. We only differ in as far as how much we’re willing to let it bother us in the long run.

Tell me how? First half we played fairly well...plenty of good spells with no end product. Second half we struggled to get out of our own half, but still managed one or two half chances. There was many a game under Rafa where we barely had an attempt, and you know there was. Stop trying to rewrite history. Some of those games were frustrating as fuck, just like today.

I hated Pardew. Never felt so strongly to feel “sick” about it though. Got more important things to worry about ?

No different to Rafa against Big 6 sides Newcastle 5 v 1 Spurs/Poch Newcastle 3 v 0 Chelsea/Conte Newcastle 2 v 1 Man City/Guardiola Newcastle 2 v 1 Arsenal/Wenger Newcastle 1 v 0 Man Utd/Mourinho Even in his last home game against a Big 6 side(Liverpool) we had the most shots on target of any side that played them last season. If you think today was similar to that then wow. List all of the narrow defeats against the big teams as well, before I bother taking your post remotely seriously. You can’t just rewrite history to back up your point man. You know fine well there were many games against big teams under Rafa that we barely had a kick in. I obviously was talking about those games, ffs. Stop being so fucking defensive. Imagine thinking this wasn’t enough wins from a newly promoted side against the Big 6 who didn’t give the manager any financial backing Still the only team in the Premier League to beat Man City in 2019. You just saw what they did to West Ham. Ungrateful pal. Seriously, what the fuck are you banging on about? You’re arguing about something completely unrelated to what I posted about. How many fucking times do I have to say I loved Rafa and what he did for the club. All I said above was, performance wise, today’s performance was very similar to many performances under Rafa against big teams....the three 2-1 defeats to Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal at the start of last season for a start. You are literally making up a topic to argue about.

Great metaphor, but it’s quite obviously not the same thing...unless you leave the games feeling massively cheated or “poisoned”...I’m willing to guess most people don’t feel so strongly as that.

I can’t argue with that. To each their own. For me, it’s far more important to build memories with my kids than to worry a great deal about my money funding Ashley’s NUFC. I’d be a crap father if I let something so trivial get in the way of my kids enjoyment. I’m all for protesting on your principles...I’ve been a regular participator in climate change and Brexit protests over the years for example...issues that actually really matter to the world. I guess I just don’t feel quite as strongly about Ashley’s ownership as some of you do. I’d prefer it if we competed and spent more, obviously. I don’t like Ashley’s ownership. But it’s football...it’s hardly life or death and I don’t think it’s worth ruining your hobby and enjoyment for. Force him out by other means, sure. But walking away seems to me like you’re punishing yourself for something that will never catch on.

No different to Rafa against Big 6 sides Newcastle 5 v 1 Spurs/Poch Newcastle 3 v 0 Chelsea/Conte Newcastle 2 v 1 Man City/Guardiola Newcastle 2 v 1 Arsenal/Wenger Newcastle 1 v 0 Man Utd/Mourinho Even in his last home game against a Big 6 side(Liverpool) we had the most shots on target of any side that played them last season. If you think today was similar to that then wow. List all of the narrow defeats against the big teams as well, before I bother taking your post remotely seriously. You can’t just rewrite history to back up your point man. You know fine well there were many games against big teams under Rafa that we barely had a kick in. I obviously was talking about those games, ffs. Stop being so fucking defensive.

I don't mean this a dig at you (I really enjoy our discussions on this actually) but I've said this before, it's sometimes like people who still go the game think it's been easy for us to walk away, that we didn't really enjoy it in the first place, not like they did, the true fans. Let me tell you, fans far more devoted than you have walked away, look at Keith Barrett, organised travel to every Newcastle game across the continent for decades, now in exile, and I see others on his Facebook commenting the same. All those things you said you loved about going to the match, do you not think the rest of us used to feel like that? That feeling has been completely taken away from us by Mike Ashley. We miss it and we're desperate to get it back. But it won't ever come back while people fill his pockets and give him no reason to go away and leave us alone. A full stadium is a ringing endorsement that he's keeping people happy. That is why we get so frustrated with those doing everything they can to keep him here. I completely understand all of that man. And sympathise. But I guess it’s all personal. I keep using the expression, but I’ve been reminded recently of just how short and unknown life is, so for me something which is “relatively” trivial in the grand scheme of things (ie the way a football club is run) is not worth treating quite so drastically as some people on here do. I admire people who have given up everything for the cause...I just think they’re going about it the wrong way. I genuinely don’t think it’ll work. I genuinely think they’re wasting their time, in the current climate, and they may as well just go if they want to. As you know...I’ve been involved in protests in the past...particularly in the promotion of them. The only time I ever felt we were making progress was when we stopped Sports Direct tweeting, which led to a clear PR push from Ashley.

There was no booing man. Where the hell did you hear that? There was the usual mooted applause, slight grumble, like you’d get at any narrow defeat. I agree with you about the lack of volume from our fans in terms of raising them...but isn’t that a problem with pretty much every PL club. I’ve been to plenty of away games where the away fans are the only ones to be heard. I think you’re describing a culture of “entertain me”, rather than it specifically being a problem with our fans. I'm not, I'm just asking in relation to our fans, many of claim they are going almost out of some sort of self sacrifice, "I need to be there to support the players!" No you want to go and watch the match, don't pretend otherwise. It's all me me me, I don't want to give up MY day out. Again, that's fine but don't lie about it. The players in reality couldn't give much of a shit whether you're there or not. Mike Ashley is the owner and Steve Bruce is the manager, I think they've got bigger problems than whether or not Alf from Westerhope goes and grumbles to himself. Oh yeah...I agree with that then. I don’t think I’ve ever really hid the reasons I go to the match. I enjoy it, win or lose. I still get that same buzz I got when I was 8 going to my first game when I walk out and see the pitch. The hairs on the back of my neck still stand up when local hero plays. I still go crazy and hug the person next to me when we score. It’s a massive part of my upbringing, and I want to take my son and daughter moving forward to share the same experiences my dad shared with me. Sure, I guess that’s selfish in your eyes. And I’m fine with that. I would argue that it’s selfish of you to tell me I shouldn’t be doing it, especially when 95% of the stadium have absolutely no intention of walking away. As I’ve said so many times on here before, life is too short and too important to miss potentially cherished memories just because I’m angry at how the club I love is run. I maintain that the only way Ashley will ever leave is on his own terms or if he’s pressured into it from the shareholders of Sports Direct. 5k, 10k, 15k empty seats every now and again...he simply won’t give a shit. Anyway, I feel like a broken record. I guess one of the saddest things about all this is that people feel the need to justify their decisions online to other fans. At the end of the day, do what you see fit. There’s no right answer, just opinions. You didn't answer me earlier, do you not think he might think "is this worth it?" if we were in the Championship and the gates were 20k and the club was haemorrhaging money? I think more than 5% of the stadium have already gone btw, they've just had their seats filled by many people who don't give as much of a shit imo. Yeah, perhaps if we were in the Championship for several seasons and the gates were low for a prolonged time. But like it or not the attendances won’t drop significantly for as long as we’re in the PL. That’s all that matters to most fans...to go and watch some top tier football on a weekend.

There was no booing man. Where the hell did you hear that? There was the usual mooted applause, slight grumble, like you’d get at any narrow defeat. I agree with you about the lack of volume from our fans in terms of raising them...but isn’t that a problem with pretty much every PL club. I’ve been to plenty of away games where the away fans are the only ones to be heard. I think you’re describing a culture of “entertain me”, rather than it specifically being a problem with our fans. I'm not, I'm just asking in relation to our fans, many of claim they are going almost out of some sort of self sacrifice, "I need to be there to support the players!" No you want to go and watch the match, don't pretend otherwise. It's all me me me, I don't want to give up MY day out. Again, that's fine but don't lie about it. The players in reality couldn't give much of a shit whether you're there or not. Mike Ashley is the owner and Steve Bruce is the manager, I think they've got bigger problems than whether or not Alf from Westerhope goes and grumbles to himself. Oh yeah...I agree with that then. I don’t think I’ve ever really hid the reasons I go to the match. I enjoy it, win or lose. I still get that same buzz I got when I was 8 going to my first game when I walk out and see the pitch. The hairs on the back of my neck still stand up when local hero plays. I still go crazy and hug the person next to me when we score. It’s a massive part of my upbringing, and I want to take my son and daughter moving forward to share the same experiences my dad shared with me. Sure, I guess that’s selfish in your eyes. And I’m fine with that. I would argue that it’s selfish of you to tell me I shouldn’t be doing it, especially when 95% of the stadium have absolutely no intention of walking away. As I’ve said so many times on here before, life is too short and too important to miss potentially cherished memories just because I’m angry at how the club I love is run. I maintain that the only way Ashley will ever leave is on his own terms or if he’s pressured into it from the shareholders of Sports Direct. 5k, 10k, 15k empty seats every now and again...he simply won’t give a shit. Anyway, I feel like a broken record. I guess one of the saddest things about all this is that people feel the need to justify their decisions online to other fans. At the end of the day, do what you see fit. There’s no right answer, just opinions.

There was no booing man. Where the hell did you hear that? There was the usual mooted applause, slight grumble, like you’d get at any narrow defeat. I agree with you about the lack of volume from our fans in terms of raising them...but isn’t that a problem with pretty much every PL club. I’ve been to plenty of away games where the away fans are the only ones to be heard. I think you’re describing a culture of “entertain me”, rather than it specifically being a problem with our fans.